The Accidental Restoration

Look at this truck today and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s nothing more than a “Show Pony”, which has never worked a hard day in its life. Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

This beaming Kenworth T900 spent its early years carting coal for Trazblend. An unforgiving task in a dirty environment, moving the black rocks, which, when burnt, supply us with the electricity to run our flatscreen TV’s, and, more importantly, keep the beer in the fridge cold.

As the name suggests, Southern Highlands Concrete carries out all manner of concrete construction work in the beautiful Southern Highlands and surrounding areas, about an hour south of Sydney.

Ben informed me they were in need of a vehicle to help out with the business. The Kenworth was purchased and while in need of freshening up, it would suit the purpose.

This is where things started to take a somewhat different direction. I asked Ben, “What was the inspiration for the restoration?” He replied, “It was not planned at all, it kind of just happened out of necessity.”

When the truck went in for assessment, it started a 17-month collaborative effort by a long list of dedicated professionals to make it serviceable, and create what you see today.